The present invention relates to a high-pressure liquid dispenser for dispensing sterile liquid at high pressure through a catheter to an organ in a body for breaking the object into small parts and removing them parts thereafter.
In organs of humans and animals, and particularly their arteries, veins, liver and kidneys, vascular constrictions (for instance, tumors, deposits of lime, embolisms, etc.) or foreign bodies (gallstones, kidney stones, tumors) may occur. The inventors have developed a catheter which can be inserted into the organ to be treated. By means of the catheter, the constriction of the vessel or the foreign body can be removed or crushed within the organ in question by a sharp jet of liquid and can thereby be broken into small particles which are transported by the jet of liquid out of the organ through the catheter. In order that the jet of liquid may be active in this manner, it must have a pressure of at least 2 bar. The pressure has an upper limit determined by the compressive strengths of the catheter and of the liquid conduits and may amount, for instance, to up to 130 bar. Conduits in which such high pressures prevail should be of very short length due to the danger of an accident with such pressures. Liquid under such high pressures is not normally available in hospitals. In order to produce such a high liquid pressure, compressors or pumps can be used. However, known compressors or pumps are unsuitable for the intended medical purpose, since the liquid must be completely free of impurities, bacteria and air inclusions, i.e. the liquid must be completely sterile. This sterility is unavailable if known compressors or pumps are used in order to pump the liquid from a storage container to the catheter.